Federal Decree-Law No. (25) of 2022 Regarding the Regulation and Development of Industry
Federal Decree-Law No. (25) of 2022
Creates the UAE federal framework for industrial licensing, registration, development, incentives, compliance and supervision across industrial establishments, including establishments in free zones unless exempted.
Overview
What this legislation covers
Creates the UAE federal framework for industrial licensing, registration, development, incentives, compliance and supervision across industrial establishments, including establishments in free zones unless exempted.
Who or what it applies to
- Industrial establishments throughout the UAE, including free-zone industrial establishments unless exempted.
- Businesses licensed for activities classified as industrial.
- Owners, managers and operators of factories and industrial establishments.
- Federal and local industrial licensing authorities.
- Free-zone authorities and other government bodies involved in industrial regulation.
Key points
Important points at a glance
Applies broadly to industrial establishments, including those in UAE free zones, subject to statutory exceptions.
Treats establishments carrying an approved industrial activity as industrial establishments even where the commercial licence has another label.
Empowers the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology to develop national industrial policies and strategies.
Creates an Industrial Registry and data framework for industrial establishments.
Requires industrial establishments to obtain the relevant industrial production/licensing approvals.
Sets controls for licence issuance, renewal, suspension, revocation and changes to industrial activities.
Requires establishments to comply with approved technical, environmental, health, safety and security requirements.
Requires approval or notification for specified material changes such as ownership, activity, production or location changes.
Requires notification when an establishment ceases industrial operation, within the statutory/regulatory framework.
Provides inspection and information-access powers to competent authorities.
Supports industrial incentives, benefits and priority-sector development subject to Cabinet/authority decisions.
Facilitates coordination between federal and local licensing bodies.
Provides reconciliation and enforcement mechanisms for violations.
Repealed the former Federal Law No. (1) of 1979 regulating industrial affairs.
Cabinet Resolution No. (78) of 2023 is the active Executive Regulation and supplies detailed licensing and registry procedures.
Practical explanation
Understanding the law
Purpose and practical effect
Creates the UAE federal framework for industrial licensing, registration, development, incentives, compliance and supervision across industrial establishments, including establishments in free zones unless exempted.
Who and what the law applies to
- Industrial establishments throughout the UAE, including free-zone industrial establishments unless exempted.
- Businesses licensed for activities classified as industrial.
- Owners, managers and operators of factories and industrial establishments.
- Federal and local industrial licensing authorities.
- Free-zone authorities and other government bodies involved in industrial regulation.
Important definitions
- Industrial Establishment: an establishment conducting one or more approved industrial activities under the statutory classification.
- Industrial Registry: the federal registry/data system for industrial establishments.
- Industrial Production Licence: the authorisation permitting industrial production after statutory conditions are met.
- Licensing Authority: the competent local/free-zone body that issues the relevant establishment licence.
- Ministry: the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology.
Main rights, duties and legal consequences
- Industrial establishments may operate after obtaining the necessary licences and complying with the approved scope.
- Eligible industries may access incentives or benefits made available under the law and implementing decisions.
- Authorities may inspect establishments and require accurate information.
- Operators must notify or obtain approval for changes identified by the statute or Executive Regulation.
Practical compliance / procedure checklist
- Classify the proposed activity under the approved industrial activity classification.
- Obtain the commercial/free-zone licence and industrial production approval required for the activity.
- Register the establishment and required data in the Industrial Registry.
- Meet environmental, building, health, safety, technical and other sector approvals before production.
- Notify or obtain approval for changes to ownership, activity, capacity or location as required.
- Renew licences and update Registry information within the current regulatory periods.
- Notify cessation of industrial activity within the period required by law/regulation.
- Prepare records for inspection and cooperate with Ministry/licensing-authority requests.
Important dates and deadlines
- Issued: 26 September 2022.
- Effective: 2 January 2023.
- Executive Regulation No. (78) of 2023: effective 31 October 2023.
- Specific licence, notification and Registry-update periods depend on the relevant article and Executive Regulation.
- Live industrial projects should verify current Ministry and Emirate/free-zone procedures.
Enforcement and legal exposure
Operating without required industrial authorisation or breaching licence/technical obligations can result in administrative and statutory penalties, including suspension or revocation in appropriate cases. Exact monetary or criminal sanctions should be verified in the current statute before use.
Practical scenarios
- A free-zone manufacturer is generally within the federal law unless the relevant industrial sector is lawfully exempted.
- A company adding a new manufacturing line should check whether the industrial licence/Registry must be amended before production.
- A factory stopping production should file the required cessation notification rather than simply allowing the licence to lapse.
- An industrial incentive is not automatic; eligibility depends on the applicable programme and official decision.
Current-law interaction
No amendment to the principal decree-law was identified in the official portal review. Cabinet Resolution No. (78) of 2023 is the current Executive Regulation.
Research status and caution
Legal-status and source verification for this package was carried out on 2026-09-08. UAE federal legislation frequently operates together with Executive Regulations, Cabinet resolutions, ministerial decisions, regulator guidance and Emirate-level rules. The current official source should be rechecked before a live filing, licence application, tax position, clinical/veterinary decision, enforcement step or court submission.
The cover is an editorial design supplied by the user. Its visual wording is not used as the sole basis for legal status. Where the cover and current official materials differ, the manifest and legal files record the verified/current framework used for this package.
Practical notes
- Use the current official Arabic text for interpretation and application; the English material in this package is a structured legal-information rendering.
- Verify the latest consolidated law, Executive Regulation, Cabinet/ministerial decisions and relevant Emirate-level rules immediately before case-specific reliance.
- Exact penalties, thresholds, exceptions, licence conditions, medical/technical criteria and procedural deadlines must be checked against the current article and implementing instrument.
- The supplied cover artwork is editorial artwork and does not constitute an official UAE Government publication or legal-status certificate.
Legislation text
Text and provisions
Official-text notice. This file is a comprehensive structured English legal-information rendering based on the official/current sources listed in this package. It is not represented as the controlling verbatim English text. For interpretation and application, the official Arabic text prevails. Exact offence elements, penalties, thresholds, exceptions, licence conditions, technical or medical criteria and deadlines must be checked against the current article and implementing instrument.
Federal Decree-Law No. (25) of 2022 Regarding the Regulation and Development of Industry
Verified legislative metadata
| Instrument | Federal Decree-Law No. (25) of 2022 |
|---|---|
| Issued | 2022-09-26 |
| Effective | 2023-01-02 |
| Status | Active / in force |
| Official Gazette | Official Gazette No. 736 |
| Official source | UAE legislation source |
Purpose and scope
Creates the UAE federal framework for industrial licensing, registration, development, incentives, compliance and supervision across industrial establishments, including establishments in free zones unless exempted.
Structured legislative map
Objectives and scope
Promotes industrial growth and competitiveness and establishes broad federal coverage.
Ministry competences
Assigns policy, strategy, classification, data and regulatory roles to the Ministry.
Industrial Registry
Creates a national industrial-information and registration system.
Industrial production licence
Requires industrial establishments to satisfy licensing and production-approval conditions.
Licence lifecycle
Regulates issuance, renewal, amendment, suspension and revocation.
Changes to establishments
Sets approval/notification requirements for changes in ownership, location, activities or operations.
Operational obligations
Requires compliance with licensing, technical, health, safety, environment and other regulatory standards.
Data and reporting
Requires accurate industrial data and cooperation with official statistical/regulatory requests.
Incentives and benefits
Provides a framework for industrial advantages and priority-sector measures.
Inspection
Authorises inspection and verification of industrial establishments.
Violations and reconciliation
Creates enforcement, penalties and reconciliation mechanisms.
Executive Regulation
Cabinet Resolution No. (78) of 2023 details Registry and licensing procedures.
Repeal and transition
Repeals the 1979 industrial law and provides transition to the new framework.
Key statutory points
- Applies broadly to industrial establishments, including those in UAE free zones, subject to statutory exceptions.
- Treats establishments carrying an approved industrial activity as industrial establishments even where the commercial licence has another label.
- Empowers the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology to develop national industrial policies and strategies.
- Creates an Industrial Registry and data framework for industrial establishments.
- Requires industrial establishments to obtain the relevant industrial production/licensing approvals.
- Sets controls for licence issuance, renewal, suspension, revocation and changes to industrial activities.
- Requires establishments to comply with approved technical, environmental, health, safety and security requirements.
- Requires approval or notification for specified material changes such as ownership, activity, production or location changes.
- Requires notification when an establishment ceases industrial operation, within the statutory/regulatory framework.
- Provides inspection and information-access powers to competent authorities.
- Supports industrial incentives, benefits and priority-sector development subject to Cabinet/authority decisions.
- Facilitates coordination between federal and local licensing bodies.
- Provides reconciliation and enforcement mechanisms for violations.
- Repealed the former Federal Law No. (1) of 1979 regulating industrial affairs.
- Cabinet Resolution No. (78) of 2023 is the active Executive Regulation and supplies detailed licensing and registry procedures.
Amendments, regulations and interaction with other legislation
No amendment to the principal decree-law was identified in the official portal review. Cabinet Resolution No. (78) of 2023 is the current Executive Regulation.
How this text should be used
This package is designed for website publication, internal research and client-facing orientation. It maps the instrument's operative subject matter and the current regulatory context verified for this batch. It does not replace article-level reading. Where the answer depends on a defined term, scheduled disease or product, professional qualification, technical standard, licence category, tax period, limitation period, consent requirement, offence, penalty, exemption, transition rule or deadline, open the current official legislation and the relevant Executive Regulation or competent-authority decision before relying on the conclusion.
Source priority
For legal interpretation, the official Arabic legislation is controlling. The official English portal is useful for research but itself states that the Arabic text prevails in case of conflict. Local Emirate rules, regulator circulars and technical decisions may add operational requirements without replacing the federal framework.
Verification
Official source & references
Official legislation sourcehttps://uaelegislation.gov.ae/en/legislations/1606Open ↗Official Gazette: Official Gazette No. 736
This page is a research and educational resource. Legislation can be amended, repealed, supplemented by regulations or interpreted by courts and authorities. Obtain advice before relying on it for a live matter.